Uncovering Customer Service Myths

25 March, 2009

Quality customer service should be your team’s number one priority, whether you deal with internal customers, external customers, or both. The truth, though, is that many managers have a distorted view of their abilities as customer service representatives. Here are three myths you need to get over in order to succeed:

“I can tell when my customers are unhappy or satisfied.”

No, you can’t. You did not wake up one morning with magical mind reading skills. If you aren’t asking your customers if they are satisfied then, trust me, you have no idea whether or not they are happy. You should be emailing them, sending polls or surveys, or conducting review of their files and asking them over the phone or in person. Ask them if they are happy with your products or services. Don’t assume anything.

“My customers would tell me if there was a problem.”

No, they would not. If this were true you’d spend quite a bit of time fielding complaint calls on a regular basis. The truth of the matter is that your customers will become upset, brood internally, and then simply start looking for a product or service to replace the one you are offering.

“My staff keep me informed about customer satisfaction.”

This one is a bit laughable. Sure, your staff will tell you a horror story if it turns out to be funny or if they need your help. They’ll definitely tell you stories that make them look good. But regular reports giving you general updates as to the satisfaction (or lack thereof) of your customers? Don’t hold your breath.

It’s your job to keep track of your customer care team, your clients, and their needs. If you are unable to do so I can guarantee that, eventually, your clients will become the clients of your competition.

Mark Williams

Mark Williams is a learning and development professional, using business psychology and multiple intelligences to create fascinating and quickly-identifiable learning initiatives in the real-world business setting. Mark’s role at MTD is to ensure that our training is leading edge, and works closely with our trainers to develop the best learning experiences for all people on learning programmes. Mark designs and delivers training programmes for businesses both small and large and strives to ensure that MTD’s clients are receiving the very best training, support and services that will really make a difference to their business.